Hiking national insurance will raise 'enough money' to pay for social care reforms in England and is 'a very Conservative thing to do', says Sajid Javid - Sky News

A plan to hike National Insurance contributions will raise "enough money" to pay for reforms to the care sector in England and is "a very Conservative thing to do", Sajid Javid has said.

The health secretary told Kay Burley that while "I don't like raising taxes", without these changes, NHS waiting lists would have reached 13 million people in three years time - the equivalent to one person in every family.

But he later clarified that "no responsible health secretary" could guarantee the money raised will clear the backlog.

Image: Sajid Javid told Sky News that raising NI contributions given the circumstances is 'a very Conservative thing to do'

It comes as MPs prepare to vote on the biggest tax rise for decades to fund the NHS and social care reforms.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25 percentage points to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the "unpredictable and catastrophic costs" faced by many.

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A social care package, which the prime minister has called "the biggest catch-up programme" in the NHS's history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 'health and social care levy' from April 2022.

The government is confident it will win the vote later on Wednesday, but concerns remain both about how the £12bn will be raised and how much of it will be directed towards the care sector.

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Asked if he is sure he is in the right party, as the Conservative 2019 manifesto promised not to increase taxes, Mr Javid told Sky News: "Yes, I am sure of that.

"I think what we have announced in the last 24 hours actually is a very Conservative thing to do.

Image: On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25 percentage points to pay for reforms to the social care system in England

"We are committed as a party to the NHS, I want the NHS to be there for everyone - a world class health service free at the point of use paid through general taxation.

"I, as health secretary, when I came into this job a couple of months ago and I was told that the waiting list - already at 5.5 million because of the global pandemic and the pressures that has created - could go to as high as 13 million in three years' time, I can't tolerate that, I can't accept that.

"So something had to be done and I think the British public understand that.

"Similarly, with adult social care, I think the fact that some people have this risk of catastrophic costs of care, that is not acceptable where you have some one in seven people that have to pay over £100,000 for their care.

"And I think it is a very Conservative thing to do to give people that confidence to know that their lifetime cost of care can be capped for them - the plan to cap it at £86,000 I think is the right thing to do to do it properly and sustainably.

"I don't like raising taxes, I want taxes to be as low as they possibly can be, but I think people understand if we want the NHS to be for us there always, doing its job, then we have got to properly fund that - and the same applies to social care."

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Is the rise in tax and the release of triple lock pensions a fair way to find funding for the UK's crippled social care system?

Asked if the sum collected from rising National Insurance contributions will raise enough money to fix the current problems in the social care system, the health secretary said: "No I think this is enough money."

Pushed again on whether he can guarantee the money will clear the NHS backlog, he added: "No responsible health secretary can make that kind of guarantee."

Mr Javid later confirmed that £5.4bn raised by increasing National Insurance payments will go directly to social care.

The new social care plan was signed off by ministers at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning after days of fury from Tory backbenchers.

The 1.25 percentage point increase is expected to raise about £12bn which, in the early years, will mainly be used to fund dealing with the NHS backlog.

This includes £2.2 billion a year for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as tax changes affect the whole of the UK.

The levy will be paid by working adults including those over the state pension age.

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Boris Johnson has acknowledged that he had to break his pledge by increasing the National Insurance contributions by 1.25% to pay for social care reform, but said that it's not something he did 'lightly'.

Announcing the plans in the Commons, the PM said the costs of the programme will be split between individuals and businesses and "those who earn more will pay more".

The PM's plan to overhaul the social care sector includes:

• A government pledge to invest £36 billion over the next three years to help the NHS recover from the pandemic.

• To also invest in reforming the social care sector.

• A promise that from October 2023, nobody will pay more than £86,000 for their social care - regardless of their assets.

• That the government will fully cover the cost of care for those with assets under £20,000, and contribute to the cost of care for those with assets of between £20,000 and £100,000.

Making a statement in the Commons on his new proposal on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said he accepts that the measure breaks a Tory manifesto pledge not to hike National Insurance, but that it was a necessary move due to COVID financial pressures.

Image: Boris Johnson unveiled his social care reform plans in the Commons on Tuesday and MPs will vote on them on Wednesday

"No Conservative government wants to raise taxes, I will be honest I accept this breaks a manifesto commitment. It is not something I do lightly but a global pandemic wasn't in anyone's manifesto," the PM told MPs.

"This is the right the reasonable and the fair approach. I think the people of this country understand that in their bones and they can see the enormous steps that this government and the Treasury have taken."

The PM also announced that there will be a 1.25% hike in the amount of tax that is paid on income from share dividends to help cover the costs of the social care package.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said those with "the broadest shoulders" need to "pay more".

Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, he said: "The alternative is obvious: a timetable, a plan to clear waiting lists just as we did under the last Labour government, a comprehensive report planned for social care dealing with the inadequacies I have just pointed out, and driving up the equality of provision, and not just tinkering with the funding model.

"We do need to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay more and that does include asking much more of wealthier people including income from stocks, from shares, from dividends and from property."

MPs will vote on the proposals later on Wednesday afternoon.

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2021-09-08 06:45:00Z
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Wales' MPs could be cut by eight as major changes published - BBC News

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Wales could lose eight of its 40 MPs under major proposals to change the country's Westminster constituencies.

Arfon, which covers part of Gwynedd, could go and the number of north-east Wales MPs could drop from six to four.

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart could face a battle for his seat as Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire is redrawn.

The Boundary Commission for Wales' initial plan would see 32 MPs in future, with finalised changes to take effect at the next general election.

The proposals, which were initially put forward by the Conservative UK government in 2012, will now be put to an eight-week public consultation so people can have their say on local or national boundaries.

But the Boundary Commission has no power to set the number of MPs and will not consider arguments around the number of constituencies

Under new Westminster rules each constituency proposed by the Boundary Commission for Wales must contain between 69,724 and 77,062 registered voters.

The only exception to that rule will be Ynys Môn, on Anglesey, which was given a "protected status" last year, meaning no changes to its name or boundaries - leaving it with 52,415 voters.

Every other constituency in Wales will see changes, with the majority changing names and some disappearing entirely by being absorbed into neighbouring constituencies.

One of the constituencies affected will be Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, the seat held by UK government cabinet member Mr Hart.

The constituency, which has 58,048 registered voters, would be redrawn to include parts of the Preseli Pembrokeshire seat held by former Conservative Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb and would be rebranded Mid and South Pembrokeshire, along with a new Ceredigion and North Pembrokeshire seat.

The former "red wall" seats of north-east Wales could also face cuts, with Clwyd South and Vale of Clwyd disappearing.

Clwyd South, a Conservative gain from Labour in the 2019 general election, would being split between Alyn and Deeside, Wrexham and a newly-named Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency.

Another Tory gain in 2019, Vale of Clwyd, would also be absorbed by Clwyd and Delyn.

Arfon, which has 43,215 voters, will be split between Dwyfor Meirionydd and Aberconwy - with Caernarfon in the former and Bangor in the latter.

The Bridgend seat, another Conservative gain at the last election, would be split between a new constituency called Aberafan Porthcawl and a new Bridgend seat that would include parts of the current Ogmore constituency.

How were these plans decided?

The Boundary Commission said it considered several factors in developing its proposals, from geography to local and historical ties, as well as the required number of voters.

Secretary to the Boundary Commission for Wales Shereen Williams said: "We've had to propose significant changes due to the reduction in the number of Welsh constituencies and that's presented a particular challenge as we seek to develop a map which meets the conditions laid out in the (Parliamentary Constituencies) Act, but also meets the expectations of the people of Wales.

"We're confident that our proposals are a strong first attempt to create a workable map of 32 Welsh constituencies.

"The purpose of our initial proposals, however, is to start the conversation about how the new map will look."

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2021-09-07 23:49:06Z
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Leamington Spa fire: Tributes to worker presumed dead - BBC News

Warwickshire Police

A man missing in a major fire at a plastics factory is presumed dead, police have confirmed.

"Hero" David Boswell, 52, was on shift at Leeson Polyurethanes Ltd when the blaze began on 27 August and had not been seen since.

His parents, Christine and John Boswell, said he would be "sorely missed".

Safety concerns at the scene in Leamington Spa meant it could not be searched immediately, police said.

When the fire broke out, a large plume of smoke could be seen for miles around the site, with reports of explosions and a strong chemical smell.

Buildings within 100m of the Juno Drive location were evacuated, with people living within 500m advised to shut windows and doors.

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In a tribute, released through the Warwickshire force, Mr Boswell's partner Carol Fureed, said: "Dave used to brighten anyone that was feeling down with his jokes. He always knew how to have a good laugh.

"He had a heart of gold and lived for his family, friends and his passion for fishing."

His brother, Andy, added there was "never a dull moment with you around".

Close friend Ryan Hissey said Mr Boswell was a "huge character" who "left an impression on everybody he met".

Colleagues also paid tribute, including Ben Curie who said Mr Boswell was "someone I could look up to, an inspiration and a hero at work".

Det Supt Jon Marsden said due to unstable chemicals and several hotspots at the site, it had been unsafe for search teams to enter.

Police, he said, would be working with structural engineers and demolition experts to ensure a search could begin, which, he added, was "still likely to take some time".

"We appreciate how hard this is for David's family and friends, and our thoughts remain with them," he said.

"They continue to be supported and updated by specially trained officers."

The force previously said it would not be possible to determine the cause of the fire until the site could be accessed safely.

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Public Health England (PHE) has issued advice to people living around the site on dealing with debris from the blaze.

Although toxins or contaminates from plastics should have been eliminated as they burned, PHE said, it warned that particles could be an irritant, and precautions should be taken while dealing with soot.

PHE added it did not expect there to be a significant risk from short-term contact with soot in gardens, and advised using gloves to dispose of matter.

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2021-09-07 17:04:38Z
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PM announces 1.25% National Insurance hike to pay for social care in England - Sky News

National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25% to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the "unpredictable and catastrophic costs" faced by many.

A social care package, which the prime minister has called "the biggest catch-up programme" in the NHS's history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 1.25% health and social care levy' from April 2022.

The plan was signed off by ministers at a Cabinet meeting earlier after days of fury from Tory backbenchers and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed MPs will vote on the proposals on Wednesday.

The 1.25 percentage point increase is expected to raise about £12bn which, in the early years, will mainly be used to fund dealing with the NHS backlog.

Image: The PM said the overhaul to the social care sector will make the system 'fairer'

This includes £2.2 billion a year for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as tax changes affect the whole of the UK.

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Announcing the plans in the Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the costs of the programme will be split between individuals and businesses and "those who earn more will pay more".

From October 2023, anyone with assets under £20,000 have their care costs fully covered by the state, while those with between £20,000 and £100,000 will be expected to contribute to their costs but will also receive state support.

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He added that there will be a cap of £86,000 on what people will be asked to pay over their lifetime for care.

The increase will be used exclusively on health and social care, and will raise £36 billion over the next three years, the PM said.

Image: Boris Johnson, pictured at a care home in east London, said the increase is expected to raise £12bn

He told MPs the measures will cap COVID backlogs in hospitals by increasing hospital capacity "to 110% and enabling 9 million more appointments, scans and operations".

"As a result, while waiting lists will get worse before they get better, the NHS will aim to be treating around 30% more elective patients by 2024-2025 than before COVID," the PM said.

The PM's plan to overhaul the social care sector includes:

• A government pledge to invest £36 billion over the next three years to help the NHS recover from the pandemic.

• To also invest in reforming the social care sector.

• A promise that from October 2023, nobody will pay more than £86,000 for their social care - regardless of their assets.

• That the government will fully cover the cost of care for those with assets under £20,000, and contribute to the cost of care for those with assets of between £20,000 and £100,000.

Mr Johnson said he accepts that the measure breaks a Tory manifesto pledge not to hike National Insurance, but that it was a necessary move due to COVID financial pressures.

"No Conservative government wants to raise taxes, I will be honest I accept this breaks a manifesto commitment. It is not something I do lightly but a global pandemic wasn't in anyone's manifesto," the PM told MPs in the Commons.

"This is the right the reasonable and the fair approach. I think the people of this country understand that in their bones and they can see the enormous steps that this government and the Treasury have taken."

The PM's official spokesperson said the change will make "the system fairer for all" and noted that working adults above pension age will also contribute to the new levy.

Image: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said those with 'the broadest shoulders' should pay more

"The levy will be paid by working adults including those over the state pension age. From April 2022, while systems are being updated, NICs rates will rise by 1.25%," the spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.

"Then, from April 2023, once systems are updated, the levy will be separated and the exact additional amount each employee is paying through the levy will be visible as a separate line on an individual's payslip.

"It is at this point that working adults above pension age will contribute to the levy.

"Individuals will contribute according to their means and those who earn more will pay more.

"A typical basic rate tax payer earning £24,100 will contribute £180 - that's £3.46 per week. A typical higher rate tax payer earning £67,100 - the top 15% of earners - will contribute £7.15."

Referring directly to those who have opposed the National Insurance hike and suggested income tax should be raised instead, the PM said this would not generate the same amount.

Image: The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford called the PM's plan a 'poll tax' for Scottish people to pay for social care in England

"Income tax is not paid by businesses, so the whole burden would fall on individuals, roughly doubling the amount that the basic taxpayer could expect to pay and the total revenue from capital gains tax amounts to less than £9 billion this year," he told the Commons.

"Instead, our new levy will share the cost between individuals and businesses, and everyone will contribute according to their means, including those above their pension age."

The PM also announced that there will be a 1.25% hike in the amount of tax that is paid on income from share dividends to help cover the costs of the social care package.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked if the PM's new plan will still lead to people selling their homes to fund care.

"Let me spell that out - a poorly-paid care worker will pay more tax for the care that they are providing without a penny more in their pay packet and without a secure contract," he said.

"The alternative is obvious: a timetable, a plan to clear waiting lists just as we did under the last Labour government, a comprehensive report planned for social care dealing with the inadequacies I have just pointed out, and driving up the equality of provision, and not just tinkering with the funding model.

"We do need to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay more and that does include asking much more of wealthier people including income from stocks, from shares, from dividends and from property."

Posting on social media, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner added: "This is not a plan to fix social care. Describing it as such is an insult to everyone who works in social care and everyone who relies on social care."

The leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey - who himself is a carer - described the government's new health and social care levy as an "unfair tax".

Meanwhile, the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford referred to the move as "the prime minister's poll tax on Scottish workers to pay for English social care".

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2021-09-07 11:49:50Z
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Stop more migrants crossing Channel or pay the price, France warned - The Times

Priti Patel has told MPs that she is ready to withhold millions of pounds promised to the French to block migrant crossings after a record number of people were estimated to have landed yesterday.

The home secretary is said to be furious at the low numbers of migrants being intercepted before they reach British waters since she agreed to pay France £54 million to double its patrols.

She met Conservative MPs last night to try to quell their anger. Patel blamed the French and said she was prepared to pull the funding promised less than two months ago if they failed to stop three in four crossings by the end of this month, The Times has learnt.

The complex migrant crisis in the Channel

Patel told the MPs: “We’ve not given

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2021-09-06 23:01:00Z
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Extremist views flourishing in schools thanks to dangerous online content, teachers say - Sky News

Teachers lack the resources needed to "stamp out [the] root causes" of extremist views among children in classrooms in England, a study suggests.

Staff say they are concerned about the increase in pupils looking at hateful content online and developing dangerous ideas linked to racism, homophobia and conspiracy theories.

Extremism is being allowed to flourish thanks to a lack of staff support and space on the curriculum to challenge these views, according to academics from the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education.

Their report, published days before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, suggests schools' efforts to build resilience to extremism in young people are "highly varied", and in some cases, their approach to the issue is "tokenistic".

Researchers, who spoke to 96 teachers in English schools as part of the study commissioned by education charity Since 9/11, found almost all had encountered "hateful extremism" in the form of racist views in the classroom.

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Kids targeted with graphic content online

The majority also said they have heard pupils express far-right extremist views in their classroom, as well as "extremist views about women" or Islamophobia.

The findings come after the boss of MI5 revealed that agents are investigating teenagers as young as 13 linked to extreme right-wing terrorism.

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In July, director-general Ken McCallum said the presence of teenagers is a "rising trend in MI5's counter-terrorist case work" and is becoming more so in extreme right-wing investigations.

Meanwhile, the report suggests that conspiracy theories and online disinformation "is an emerging area that needs consideration".

Nearly nine in 10 teachers said they have heard conspiracy theories being discussed by students - including the theory that American businessman Bill Gates "controls people via microchips in COVID vaccines".

They claim kids have been increasingly exposed to these ideas online and that the problem has been "exacerbated by the pandemic and lockdowns".

But the study found that many teachers do not confront students out of fear they will offend, "especially on matters related to race".

Dr Becky Taylor, from the UCL Centre for Teachers and Teaching Research, said: "This report shows that some schools fail to move beyond surface-level explorations of violence, extremism and radicalisation; however, it is without doubt that schools can play an important role."

She added: "Education policies must consider the fact that some schools may need more help than others to build on what they already have in place.

"Engaging well with their local communities and ensuring that schools and teachers are supported and appropriately resourced can help young people to problematise 'hateful extremism'."

The study calls for teachers to be given better training to help pupils reject, and respond to, dangerous ideologies.

The report concludes: "Much anti-extremism work is well-meaning but is stymied by overcrowded curricula, a lack of resources, a desire to perform policy for Ofsted, and a mandate to detect and report vulnerability to radicalisation rather than necessarily stamp out its root causes."

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Kamal Hanif, a trustee of Since 9/11 and executive principal of Waverley Education Foundation in Birmingham, called the research "a wake-up call".

He said: "We urgently need to equip schools with the tools to teach pupils how to reject extremist views. Dangerous ideologies must never be swept under the carpet."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: "Schools have an important role to play in educating young people about the false premises and dangers posed by extremist ideologies, but they cannot do this alone and more support is needed."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "The new Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum requires secondary age pupils to be aware of laws relating to terrorism and hate crime, and the Educate Against Hate website features over 150 free resources to help pupils, teachers and parents tackle radicalisation in all its forms.

"We continue to look at what further support we can provide to schools, and will shortly launch further resources specifically focused on harmful online content."

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2021-09-07 01:32:21Z
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Boris Johnson pledges to end 'catastrophic costs' of social care with national insurance rise - but faces Tory mutiny - Sky News

Boris Johnson is expected to raise national insurance by about 1.2% to pay for a pledge to end the "catastrophic costs" of social care, a move Tory MPs claim amounts to a £10bn tax raid.

On Tuesday, he is planning a major launch of a long-awaited shake-up which he claims will fulfil a pledge he made when he became prime minister two years ago to "fix the broken care system".

The national insurance hike will also help fund a major drive to clear the massive backlog in NHS operations and treatment caused by COVID, which has seen waiting lists soar to over five million.

Image: Chancellor Rishi Sunak made an appeal for loyalty to the PM on Monday night

The extra cash for the NHS will be targeted on boosting capacity in hospitals amid predictions that the backlog could more than double to 13 million people on waiting lists by the end of this year.

After driving his plan through his potentially mutinous cabinet at its first meeting in Number 10 for more than a year, Mr Johnson will confront Tory critics and opposition MPs in a House of Commons statement.

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He will then attempt to portray a united cabinet front as he unveils the government's proposals at a Downing Street news conference, flanked by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

The prime minister claims the social care package is a "fair, reasonable and necessary plan" to ensure the NHS has the long-term funding it needs.

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But he is facing a furious backlash from ministers and backbench MPs who are incensed that the PM is poised to break a promise in the Tories' 2019 election manifesto not to raise national insurance.

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July 2019 - Boris Johnson's first speech as PM in full

Other Tory MPs claim the proposals will hit workers on low and modest incomes while protecting better off couples who are currently forced to sell their home to pay for care in later life.

But speaking ahead of the launch, a defiant Mr Johnson declared: "The NHS is the pride of our United Kingdom, but it has been put under enormous strain by the pandemic. We cannot expect it to recover alone.

Image: The 2019 Conservative manifesto included a personal 'guarantee' from Boris Johnson that there wouldn't be tax rises

"We must act now to ensure the health and care system has the long-term funding it needs to continue fighting COVID and start tackling the backlogs, and end the injustice of catastrophic costs for social care.

"My government will not duck the tough decisions needed to get NHS patients the treatment they need and to fix our broken social care system."

But while the Conservative manifesto promised a "long-term solution" on social care, it also pledged: "We promise not to raise the rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT.

"This is a tax guarantee that will protect the incomes of hard-working families across the next parliament."

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Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth hit back at the PM ahead of the unveiling of his social care plans.

"A Tory decade of neglect left us unprepared for the pandemic and means waiting lists are at record levels with patients waiting longer in pain, A&Es regularly in crisis, cancer survival rates at risk of going backwards and millions struggling to access adequate mental health support," Mr Ashworth said.

"In social care, swingeing cuts have left the service at breaking points and left over a million of the most vulnerable without help.

"A long-term plan on social care and a rescue plan to address the crisis the NHS has been in for years are both long overdue.

"The NHS is in desperate need, but the prime minister - along with every Conservative MP - was elected on a manifesto that promised to fix social care on a plan that had been developed and promised no rise in national insurance.

"His broken promises on tax rises cannot be followed by more broken promises for the NHS."

Image: The PM made a pledge two years ago to 'fix the broken care system'

In an 11th-hour attempt to win over angry Tory MPs, Mr Sunak made an appeal for loyalty to the PM in a speech to the backbench 1922 Committee on Monday night.

"It's fair to say that we've got a tough autumn ahead," the chancellor said.

"That doesn't mean there won't be disagreements. There always are. But we should never lose sight of the central fact that we are a team, leading with our values and presenting a united front to the country.

"I, like all of you, take our lead from the prime minister, the leader of our party and the country. We owe him our support and loyalty."

Foreshadowing the PM's funding plans, a government source said: "The NHS cared for us during the worst pandemic in a century.

"Over half a million COVID patients have been admitted to hospital since March 2020, and on one day alone in January 2021, over 34,000 patients were in hospital.

"During national restrictions, the NHS remained open for anyone who needed it. Urgent treatment, including cancer care and A&E services, continued.

"NHS staff and beds were redirected from non-urgent care to help the influx of COVID patients. An entire vaccination system was set up from scratch, administering 88 million vaccines so far and saving countless lives.

"Less urgent treatment was temporarily paused and as a result, the number of people waiting for treatment has quickly multiplied."

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NHS to get extra £5.4bn, says Javid

The government says a new plan is now needed to put the necessary resources in place to provide care and treatment for all and to protect the NHS's ability to deliver the core function it was set up for.

Ministers admit that the number of patients now waiting for elective surgery and routine treatment in England is at a record high of over five million and - left unchecked - could reach 13 million by the end of the year.

Before the pandemic, nine out of 10 people were treated within 26 weeks. Despite huge efforts by NHS staff, that is now 44 weeks, and more than 300,000 people have been waiting over a year for non-urgent care.

This includes hip replacements, knee surgery, and cataract treatment, all of which can severely limit someone's quality of life.

On social care, the government says that under the current system anyone with assets over £23,350 pays for their care in full. This can lead to spiralling costs and the complete liquidation of someone's assets.

Around one in seven people now pay over £100,000 and there is an unfair discrepancy between someone who has dementia paying for their care in full, while someone cared for by the NHS receives care for free.

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2021-09-06 21:35:01Z
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